All we do is win.
The_JustinWood
December 26 2022 10:30 AM EST
February 03 2023 8:59 AM EST
2022 is coming to a close, so it's a perfect time to reflect on all the things we’ve loved this year, including the video games that made it special. This year has offered some great releases including Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, all of which include brief instances of queer inclusion. That’s great, but what’s better is that 2022 has been a great year for truly queer inclusive games, like Gotham Knights finally embracing Tim Drake’s coming out story. Not just a brief allusion, either, but the kind of unapologetic, full-on queer representation we deserve.
Here are the video games we consider to have achieved LGBTQ+ excellence this year.
The Last Of Us Part 1 (Remake): Left Behind
This is technically a cheat, since it's a remastering of a game that was originally released back in 2013, but this year’s remake of The Last Of Us brought us another way to enjoy its queer love story, “Left Behind”. This additional content for the game sees players controlling Ellie, one of the main story’s protagonists, as she spends an afternoon with her first love and best friend, Riley. Presented as a concise side story, it does a fantastic job of further exploring Ellie's past and giving us some of the most beautiful moments in the series.
Signalis
Set in a dystopian future, Signalis follows Elster, a technician “Replika” searching for her lost dreams. Over the course of the game, she begins regaining her memories, shown to players through flashbacks. While Elster is initially devoid of all emotion and feeling, she begins experiencing them, and this evolution is all due to her love interest, Ariane. Elster experiences true joy as she starts understanding what it is like to care for another being. Their relationship is brief, but it's beautiful.
The game itself is a classic survival-horror game that also moves the genre forward — in ways I hope we see take hold in future titles within the genre. It's very challenging and does a fantastic job of blending puzzles and combat. This game is easily in our top three of 2022.
The Quarry
The Quarry takes inspiration from films like Friday the 13th and The Thing. It follows nine camp counselors who get stranded at Camp Hackett after it closes for the season, only to be hunted in the night. It features one of our favorite game characters of the year, Dylan (Miles Robbins). He’s one of the funniest characters in a game this year and, best of all, he’s queer. Not only is Dylan out, but he has a love interest in Ryan (Justice Smith) and their interactions alone make the game an absolute must-play.
BOSS GAME: The Final Boss Is My Heart
In this charming game, being touted as the lesbian boss rush game (which, frankly, is pretty accurate), Sophie and Anna are struggling to pay their rent. To make ends meet, they turn to a very, um, unique way of raising funds: slaying demons. The relationship between Sophie and Anna is heartfelt, funny, and actually realistic (despite the demons, naturally). It’s so rare that video games can nail that feeling of a real connection between two humans. Plus, the gameplay here is fast and frantic, but also so satisfying.
We Are OFK
Following the fictional indie pop band OFK, We Are OFK is broken up into five episodes, each one focusing on four queer friends living in Los Angeles. Itsumi is a piano player who moved to L.A. after breaking up with her girlfriend. Luca is a songwriter who tries to find his soulmate in both men and women, but must learn to love himself before he loves another. Jay is a music producer whose relationship with her parents is strained due to her sexual orientation. Finally, Carter a nonbinary visual effects artist whose pain from a previous relationship keeps them at arm’s reach from everyone.
Each character feels fully realized with their own struggles and dreams. The story is so compelling that whether or not you're a fan of the music genre, you can't help but to want to follow the story to the end and learn more about each of the characters.
Gotham Knights
Talk about handling a fan favorite character’s sexual orientation wonderfully!Gotham Knightsabsolutely nails it. For the uninitiated, Tim Drake is the third person to don the guise of Robin. Drake also officially came out as bisexual late last year in the comics.
To have that included in Gotham Knights, which released only a year later, meant everything to queer fans. Not only did they include his orientation, but they did it in such a sweet and respectful way. Over the course of the game, players learn about Drake’s upcoming date with a man named Bernard through background conversations with his team members.
Desta: The Memories Between
When ustwo, creator of the BAFTA-winning Monument Valley and critically acclaimed Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, announced it would be making another game, we knew it would be great. Fortunately, Desta: The Memories Between met that high bar and even surpassed it.
The game follows Desta, a young non-binary adult. as they return to their hometown. While Desta sleeps they are forced to confront people from their past, be it past lovers or their own mother who they maintain a strained relationship with. This is all done through games of dodgeball. (Of course.) It's a game that will make you feel for Desta and their journey. Ustwo put a lot of love and thought into how it hs handled this game and once and it shows.
With 2022 coming to a close, it's time to look forward to what is coming next. If this year is any indication of where the games industry is heading, 2023 is looking good and pretty gay. Let’s play.
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